Information storage medium for storing metadata supporting multiple languages, and systems and methods of processing metadata

ABSTRACT

An information storage medium for storing metadata supporting multiple languages and a method of processing the metadata are provided. The information storage medium is provided to store contents, and at least one metadata file in which information regarding the contents is recorded in at least one language. The metadata file comprises a plurality of language files in which a plurality of versions of the information regarding the contents written in a plurality of languages are provided, and the languages are identified by the names of the respective language files. The names of the language files may include a language identifier according to an ISO 639-2 standard. The information may also include download information regarding a plurality of downloadable metadata files that are downloadable from other storage media.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a division of application Ser. No. 11/214,801 filedon Aug. 31, 2005, now pending, which claims the benefit of Korean PatentApplication Nos. 2004-73925 filed on Sep. 15, 2004, and 2004-91910 filedon Nov. 11, 2004, in the Korean Intellectual Property Office, thedisclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to metadata, and more particularly, to aninformation storage medium for storing metadata to support multiplelanguages, and systems and methods of processing the metadata.

2. Related Art

Information recording media, for example, digital versatile discs(DVDs), may store contents, such as audio/video (AV) data, andinformation regarding the contents, i.e., metadata. Examples of metadatainclude information regarding the title of a movie stored on a disc,information regarding the date of manufacture of the movie, informationregarding actors and actresses who starred in the movie, and informationregarding the director of the movie. Therefore, a user can easily searchfor contents with a desired title or contents in which a certain actoror actress starred with reference to metadata.

If metadata is provided in multiple languages, people from differentcountries can easily search for contents with reference to differentversions of the metadata written in the multiple languages. In otherwords, a user can search for and browse metadata using a language, whichhe or she can understand. In addition, metadata written in a languageother than those languages stored on an information recording medium canalso be downloaded, via a network, or can be copied from another memory,for the user's convenience.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an example format of subtitledata 100. Referring to FIG. 1, the subtitle data 100 includes text data110, which is to be displayed as subtitles, synchronization information120, which specifies when the text data 110 is to be displayed insynchronization with an AV stream, display region information 130, whichspecifies where the text data 110 is to be displayed, and display styleinformation 140, which specifies the text data 110 is to be displayed ina specific display style. The display region information 130 may berepresented as Region (l, t, w, h) to indicate that the text data 110 isto be displayed in an area which has a width “w” and has a height “h”above a point (l, t). The display style information 140 includes fontinformation, output direction information, and line space informationregarding the text data 110 to be displayed in the same area.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of an example reproduction apparatus 200 toreproduce subtitle data in synchronization with an AV stream. Referringto FIG. 2, the reproduction apparatus 200 reads subtitle data 100, asshown in FIG. 1, from an information storage medium 210, downloadssubtitle data 100 from a server 220, via a network such as the Internet230, and reproduces both of the subtitle data 100 in synchronizationwith an AV stream 240. Subtitle data 100 may be stored on theinformation storage medium in different units from an AV stream 240. Inother words, the subtitle data 100, which is to be laid over an imagegenerated by decoding the AV stream 240, may be recorded on theinformation storage medium separately from the AV stream. In order toprovide a user with subtitle data 100 in multiple languages or varioustypes of subtitle data 100, the reproduction apparatus 200 may alsodownload subtitle data 100 from the server 220, via a network such asthe Internet 230, and may reproduce the downloaded subtitle data in thesame manner as the subtitle data obtained from the information storagemedium 210.

As described above, subtitle data 100 read from an information storagemedium, or subtitle data 100 downloaded from the server 220, via theInternet 230, as shown, for example, in FIG. 2, can be provided to auser. Metadata, like subtitle data, may be obtained from an informationstorage medium or from a remote server, via the Internet, as shown, forexample, in FIG. 2, and provided to a user. In other words, metadatawritten in some languages may be recorded in an information storagemedium, and metadata written in some other languages may be stored in aremote server, via the Internet, so that they can be downloaded from theinformation storage medium and the server, via the Internet. However, inconventional methods of expressing metadata that is downloaded via anetwork, a considerable amount of storage capacity may be wasted in aneffort to store the metadata. In addition, in a metadata search, twowords written in different languages can be determined to refer todifferent information even when they may have the same meaning.

Therefore, there is a need for providing metadata in a plurality ofdifferent languages that are accessible and updatable, even if memoryresources are limited in a reproduction apparatus and/or an informationstorage medium, such that a user can easily search for contents in adesired language that can be understood. Also needed are techniques toenhance the metadata search, such that multiple words which share thesame meaning but are written in different languages, are not mistaken asdifferent metadata.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Various aspects of the present invention advantageously provide aninformation storage medium for storing metadata supporting multiplelanguages which can enable a user, via a reproduction apparatus, tobrowse metadata using a desired language and to search for desiredcontents with reference to the metadata, using the metadata storedtherein or downloaded from other storage media in different languages,and a method of processing the metadata.

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided aninformation storage medium for storing metadata used to search for otherinformation storage media. The information storage medium is providedwith contents; and at least one metadata file in which informationregarding the contents is recorded in at least one language. Themetadata file comprises a plurality of language files in which aplurality of versions of the information regarding the contents writtenin a plurality of languages are stored, and the languages are identifiedby the names of the respective language files.

The names of the respective language files may include a languageidentifier according to an ISO 639-2 standard.

The information may also include download information regarding aplurality of downloadable metadata files that are downloadable fromother storage media.

The download information may include server location informationspecifying a location of one or more servers in which the downloadablemetadata files are respectively stored.

The download information includes: disc identification (ID) informationidentifying the information storage medium; language code informationregarding a plurality of languages in which the downloadable metadatafiles are written; and server location information specifying a locationof one or more servers in which the downloadable metadata files arestored.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is providedan information storage medium for storing metadata used to search forother information storage media. The information storage mediumincludes: contents; and at least one metadata file in which informationregarding the contents is recorded in at least one language. Themetadata file comprises at least one representative metadata file inwhich portions of the information regarding the contents that arelanguage-independent are recorded in a common language.

The metadata file may also include at least one language-dependentmetadata file in which portions of the information regarding thecontents that are language-dependent are written in one of a pluralityof languages other than the common language.

The language-dependent metadata file may be downloadable, via a network.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is providedan information storage medium storing metadata used to search for otherinformation storage media. The information storage medium includes:contents; and a metadata file in which information regarding thecontents is recorded in at least one language. The metadata filecomprises at least one descriptor comprising a plurality of parametersets which are a plurality of versions of the information regarding thecontents written in a plurality of languages.

According to another aspect of the present invention, an apparatus forreproducing data from an information storage medium includes: a localstorage unit which stores at least one metadata file in whichinformation regarding contents stored in the information storage mediumis recorded in at least one language; and a search unit which searchesfor a specified information storage medium that matches a specifiedcondition with reference to the metadata file stored in the localstorage unit. The metadata file comprises a plurality of language filesin which a plurality of versions of the information regarding thecontents written in a plurality of languages are stored, and thelanguages are identified by the names of the respective language files.

According to another aspect of the present invention, a method ofreproducing data from an information storage medium includes: reading atleast one metadata file in which information regarding contents storedin the information storage medium is recorded in at least one language;and searching for a specified information storage medium that matches aspecified condition with reference to the read metadata file. The readmetadata file comprises a plurality of language files in which aplurality of versions of the information regarding the contents writtenin a plurality of languages are stored, and the languages are identifiedby the names of the respective language files.

In addition to the example embodiments and aspects as described above,further aspects and embodiments of the present invention will beapparent by reference to the drawings and by study of the followingdescriptions.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

A better understanding of the present invention will become apparentfrom the following detailed description of example embodiments and theclaims when read in connection with the accompanying drawings, allforming a part of the disclosure of this invention. While the followingwritten and illustrated disclosure focuses on disclosing exampleembodiments of the invention, it should be clearly understood that thesame is by way of illustration and example only and that the inventionis not limited thereto. The spirit and scope of the present inventionare limited only by the terms of the appended claims. The followingrepresents brief descriptions of the drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an example format of subtitledata;

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of an example reproduction apparatus used toreproduce subtitle data in synchronization with an AV stream;

FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining a method of providing metadata inmultiple languages using a manifest file according to an embodiment ofthe present invention;

FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining a method of displaying contents usinga manifest file according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining a method of naming each of aplurality of metadata written in different languages;

FIG. 6 is a block diagram for explaining a method of providing metadatain multiple languages using representative metadata in whichlanguage-independent portions of the metadata that can be written in acommon language are set as the representative metadata according to anembodiment of the present invention;

FIGS. 7A and 7B are diagrams for explaining a method of providingmetadata in multiple languages using a plurality of parameter setsrelated to a descriptor according to an embodiment of the presentinvention; and

FIG. 8 is a system diagram for explaining a method of updating metadatausing a manifest file obtained from an information storage medium and aremote server according to an embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

The present invention is applicable for use with all types of memory orcomputer-readable media, recording and/or reproducing apparatuses, andcomputer systems implemented methods described according to variousembodiments of the present invention.

In accordance with aspects of the present invention, metadata inmultiple languages can be provided by three methods. In the firstmethod, a plurality of versions of metadata written in a plurality oflanguages, other than a predetermined language of a metadata file storedon a disc, can be provided using a manifest file, which includeslanguage code information regarding the languages in which therespective versions of metadata are written, and uniform resourcelocator (URL) information specifying the locations of one or more remoteservers, via a network, where the respective versions of metadata indifferent languages are stored. As a result, a reproduction apparatuswith limited memory resources can be advantageously utilized to providemetadata in multiple languages by using the manifest file whichcomprises the language code information, disc identification informationidentifying the disc, and the URL information.

In the second method, metadata can be classified as language-dependentportions and language-independent portions. Thereafter, representativemetadata can then be formed using common metadata, which is comprised oflanguage-independent portions of metadata, and identifiers (IDs) oflanguages in which language-dependent portions are written. As a result,metadata in multiple languages can be advantageously provided withlimited memory resources.

In the third method, metadata in multiple languages can be providedusing a plurality of parameter sets written under each descriptor. Eachdescriptor may include a plurality of parameter sets written indifferent languages, such as, English, Chinese and Korean. As a result,specific words written in different languages to share the same meaningcan be advantageously ascertained without confusion during a metadatasearch.

Therefore, according to aspects of the present invention, metadata canbe easily updated, even if information recording media such as discs arereleased onto the market. In other words, addresses of a plurality ofremote servers from which a plurality of versions of metadata other thanthe metadata version stored on a disc can be downloaded, may be storedin a manifest file stored on the disc (the first method) or in a commonmetadata file (the second method). Therefore, a user can determine whichof the remote servers stores a desired version of metadata and candownload the desired version of metadata based on the determinationresults. In the third method, metadata can be updated in units ofdescriptors.

The first through third methods mentioned above will now be described indetail with reference to FIGS. 3 through 8 herein below.

FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining a method of providing metadata 300 inmultiple languages using a manifest file according to an exampleembodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 3, a plurality ofversions of metadata written in a plurality of languages are stored asseparate metadata files, e.g., an English metadata file 310, a Japanesemetadata file 320, and a Korean metadata file 330. Server locationinformation regarding a plurality of servers from which metadata in someother corresponding languages is stored in each of the respectivemetadata files 310, 320, 330. The location information of the serversmay be uniform resource location (URL) information. The English metadatafile 310, the Japanese metadata file 320, and the Korean metadata file330 may have different URL information. Languages available areidentified by the names of the respective language metadata files, suchas English metadata file 310, Japanese metadata file 320, and Koreanmetadata file 330. The names used may include a language identifieraccording to an ISO 639-2 standard.

The manifest file 340 may include disc ID information 342 used toidentify the information storage medium such as a disc, language codeinformation 344 used to specify language codes corresponding to themetadata files 310, 320, 330, such as English, Japanese and Korean, andserver location information 346 used to identify one or more remoteservers from which metadata in some other languages can be downloaded,via a network.

Accordingly, with reference to the manifest file 340, a user can examinea list of languages that can be supported by a disc and choose one ofthe listed languages, or download additionally a version of metadatawritten in a desired language from a server 420 (as will be shown inFIG. 4). For example, if the user wishes to download a French version ofthe metadata, the user may examine the manifest file 340 storing a URLof a server 420 in which the French metadata version is stored.Thereafter, the user accesses the server 420 by clicking the URL of theserver 420 and then downloads the French metadata version from theserver 420. A manifest file 340 may be formed to have a size of 512bytes for information regarding each language, and includes disc IDinformation 342, language code information 344 and server locationinformation 346, as shown, for example, in FIG. 3. Thus, assuming thatup to 32 versions of metadata written in 32 languages can be provided bya digital versatile disc (DVD), a manifest file 340 may be formed tohave a size of about 16 Kbytes (=32×512 bytes), in which case, a maximumstorage capacity required for storing 1000 manifest files is about 16Mbytes. In other words, an information storage medium may be required tostore only a small number of metadata files for a few languages andserver location information for other metadata files for otherlanguages, so as to minimize memory resources used.

Therefore, even when a reproduction apparatus has insufficient memoryresources, it can still provide a plurality of versions of metadatawritten in a plurality of languages with reference to a manifest file340 which includes disc ID information identifying the disc, languagecode information regarding the plurality of languages available, andserver location information specifying where the plurality of versionsof the metadata can be found, without the need to store the plurality ofversions of the metadata therein. Since many versions of metadata indifferent languages can be stored in one or more remote servers, orother storage media, and can be accessible at the user's convenience,memory resources allocated for metadata in an information storage mediumcan be advantageously minimized.

Turning now to FIG. 4, a flow diagram to explain a method of displayingcontents using a manifest file according to an embodiment of the presentinvention is illustrated. Referring to FIG. 4, in operation S410, whenan information storage medium such as a disc 410 is inserted into areproduction apparatus 400, a manifest file 340 of the disc 410 isstored in a memory of the reproduction apparatus 400. The manifest file340 includes disc ID information 342 for identifying the disc, languagecode information 344 for specifying the languages supported by the disc,and server location information 346 for identifying the location of atleast a server 420, as shown in FIG. 3. In operation S420, a URL of aserver 420, in which a desired version of metadata written in a desiredlanguage is stored, is accessed with reference to the server locationinformation 346 included in the manifest file 340. In operation S430,the desired metadata version is downloaded from the server 420 inoperation S420, and the downloaded contents are displayed on a displayunit 430.

FIG. 5 is a diagram to explain a method of naming each of a plurality ofmetadata files written in different languages, such as English metadatafile 310, Japanese metadata file 320, and Korean metadata file 330, asshown in FIG. 3. Referring to FIG. 5, if a metadata file is named tospecify (1) a disc ID that it belongs to, and (2) a language code thatit supports, then the disc ID information and the language codeinformation can be easily obtained from the name of the metadata file.For example, as shown in FIG. 5, a metadata file can be named as“disc_id_kor.meta” which is used to identify not only the disc ID butalso the Korean language in which the metadata is written. Similarly,the metadata file can also be named as “disc_id_eng.meta” which is usedto identify not only the disc ID but also the English language in whichthe metadata is written. Likewise, the metadata file can also be namedas “disc_id_jpn.meta” which is used to identify not only the disc ID butalso the Japanese language in which the metadata is written. Thus, onlyserver location information, e.g., URL information, is needed to beincluded in the manifest file 340. In other words, the manifest file 340may only need to include server location information, and not the discID information and the language code information. Therefore, the size ofthe manifest file 340 may be about 8 Kbytes (=256 bytes×32), in whichcase, a maximum storage capacity required for storing 1000 manifestfiles 340 is about 8 Mbytes. As a result, a small memory device such asa flash memory can be utilized instead of a hard disc. Thus, areproduction apparatus 400 having a small storage capacity, e.g., areproduction apparatus having a flash memory instead of a hard disc, canstill provide metadata in multiple languages.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram to explain a method of providing metadata inmultiple languages using representative metadata in whichlanguage-independent portions of metadata that can be written in acommon language are set as the representative metadata according to anexample embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 6,metadata can be classified into language-dependent portions andlanguage-independent portions. For example, language-dependent portionsof metadata, such as the names of actors or actresses, a disc name, anda contents manufacturer's name, are those which can be input by acontent provider in different languages and are thus stored as separatemetadata files, i.e., first through fourth language-dependent metadatafiles 610 through 640. On the other hand, language-independent portionsof metadata are thus stored as a common metadata file 650.Language-independent portions included in the common metadata file 650may contain contents running time, an audio file type and spatialresolution that are provided by the disc 410, which are expressed thesame regardless of languages, and genre information, which is selectedfrom a list and can be mechanically translated by a reproductionapparatus 400, as shown in FIG. 4.

The common metadata file 650 includes common data that can be reproducedregardless of the language of the contents being reproduced from any oneof the language-dependent metadata files 610, 620, 630, 640 on the disc410. Thus, the common metadata file 650 can be designated as arepresentative metadata file. Language code information regarding thefirst through fourth language-dependent metadata files 610 through 640can also be included in the common metadata file 650. Language-dependentportions of metadata for another language (not available from the firstthrough fourth language-dependent metadata files 610 through 640) may bedownloaded additionally from other storage media, or remote servers, viaa network, so that the additional language can be supported.

FIGS. 7A and 7B are diagrams to explain a method of providing metadatain multiple languages using a plurality of parameter sets under adescriptor according to an example embodiment of the present invention.Referring to FIGS. 7A and 7B, metadata can be represented in the form ofa metadata file 700 which includes a header 710 and a plurality ofdescriptors 720A-720N with each descriptor including a plurality ofparameter sets written in multiple languages. As a result, a pluralityof parameter sets per descriptor are generated in a plurality oflanguages supported by an information storage medium such as a disc 410,instead of storing a plurality of versions of metadata written in theplurality of languages as separate metadata files. For example, adescriptor “actors/actresses” may include a Korean parameter setcomprising the names of a plurality of actors, e.g., Jackie Chan, ChrisTucker, Tom Wilkinson, and Tzi Ma, written in Korean, an Englishparameter set comprising the names of the actors written in English, anda Chinese parameter set comprising the names of the actors written inChinese. A plurality of descriptors 720A-720N each comprising aplurality of parameter sets written in a plurality of languages mayconstitute a single metadata file 700 that is available at aninformation storage medium such as a disc 410, shown in FIG. 4. Aparameter set written in other than the plurality of languages can alsobe additionally downloaded from a remote server 420, via a network, asshown in FIG. 4. In this manner, a metadata file 700 can be updated inunits of descriptors. When a metadata file 700 is updated, updateinformation may be stored in a header 710 of the metadata file 700. Forexample, referring to FIG. 7A, if a Japanese parameter set and a Frenchparameter set are added to the descriptor “actors/actresses”,information about the added languages may be recorded in a header 710 ofthe metadata file 700.

In the method illustrated in FIGS. 7A and 7B, it is easy to determinewhether a plurality of parameter sets written in a plurality oflanguages refer to the same thing. For example, in the method asillustrated in FIGS. 7A and 7B, the name of the actor Jackie Chanwritten in different languages, e.g., English, Chinese, and Korean, maybe classified as belonging to different parameter sets under onedescriptor, thereby making it easy to determine whether the names of theactor written in different languages refer to the same person. As aresult, it is possible to reduce the probability of a plurality ofversions of metadata written in a plurality of languages beingdetermined as being different metadata.

In summary, according to the methods illustrated in FIGS. 3, 6, and 7Aand 7B, it is also possible to easily update metadata. In other words,according to the methods illustrated in FIGS. 3, 6, and 7A and 7B, it ispossible to easily update metadata by several ways: (1) downloading aplurality of metadata files for a plurality of languages from therespective servers, as described in connection with FIG. 3; (2)downloading a plurality of language-dependent metadata files from therespective servers, as described in connection with FIG. 6; oralternatively, (3) downloading a plurality of parameter sets under adescriptor written in a plurality of languages from the respectiveservers, as described in connection with FIGS. 7A-7B. In the case ofupdating metadata, disc ID information may be used to identify a discand additional ID information or URL information may be used to manageversion information of metadata that can be updated.

FIG. 8 is a system diagram for updating metadata using a manifest filestored on an information storage medium and a server according to anembodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 8, the systemincludes a reproduction apparatus 800, an information storage medium810, and a remote server 820. The reproduction apparatus 800 is providedwith a memory (i.e., local storage unit) 802 and search mechanisms (notshown) to enable a user to search for contents with reference tometadata. The manifest file 340 stored on the information storage medium810, e.g., a disc, includes URL information regarding a plurality ofservers that are accessible, via a network, and the manifest file 340stored in a server 820 includes a list of languages that can besupported. Thus, it is possible to choose and download metadata writtenin one of the listed languages from the server 820. For example, if auser already has an English version of metadata stored on theinformation storage medium 810, and wishes to download another versionof the metadata written in a language other than English (e.g., Japaneseor Korean) that is stored elsewhere, the user may examine a list ofsites which are established in a plurality of languages other thanEnglish and from which a plurality of versions of the metadata writtenin the plurality of languages other than English can be downloaded usingthe manifest file 340 stored in the server 820. Then, the user candownload a metadata file 340 by choosing and downloading any of theplurality of versions of the metadata written in the plurality oflanguages other than English. Similarly, metadata that is classified aslanguage-dependent and language-independent portions as described inconnection with FIG. 6, and metadata file including descriptors asdescribed in connection with FIGS. 7A-7B, can also be updated in thesame manner described in FIG. 8.

As described in the present invention, only a list of languages that canbe provided by a reproduction apparatus is provided, and metadatawritten in a desired language can be downloaded from a server where itis stored with reference to the stored language list. Thus, it ispossible for a reproduction apparatus even with limited memory resourcesto provide metadata in more than one language to a user. This is done bysimply downloading the metadata from a server. In addition, in ametadata search, it is now possible to easily determine whether aplurality of metadata written in different languages are identical toone another in terms of what they refer to by using a plurality ofparameter sets under descriptors written in different languages.

Various embodiments of the present invention used to process metadatacan be written as computer programs and can be implemented ingeneral-use digital computers that execute the programs using a computerreadable recording medium. Examples of the computer readable recordingmedium include magnetic storage media (e.g., ROM, floppy disks, harddisks, etc.), optical recording media (e.g., CD-ROMs, DVDs, etc.), andstorage media such as carrier waves (e.g., transmission through theInternet). The computer readable recording medium can also bedistributed over network coupled computer systems so that the computerreadable code is stored and executed in a distributed fashion. Inaddition, functional programs, codes and code segments for embodying thepresent invention may be easily deducted by programmers in the art whichthe present invention belongs to.

While there have been illustrated and described what are considered tobe example embodiments of the present invention, it will be understoodby those skilled in the art that various changes in form andmodification may be made therein, and equivalents may be substituted forelements thereof without departing from the spirit and scope of thepresent invention. For example, other computer readable media such asread-only memory (ROM), random-access memory (RAM), CD-ROMs, magnetictapes, floppy disks, optical or data storage devices, and carrier waves,may also be utilized as long as the metadata processing techniques asdescribed in connection with FIG. 3, FIG. 4, FIG. 5, FIG. 6 FIGS. 7A-7B,and FIG. 8 are utilized. Likewise, a central controller can beimplemented as a chipset, or alternatively, a general or specialpurposed computer programmed to perform the methods as described withreference to FIG. 3, FIG. 6 and FIGS. 7A-7B. Accordingly, it isintended, therefore, that that present invention not be limited to thevarious example embodiments disclosed, but that the present inventionincludes all embodiments falling within the scope of the appendedclaims.

What is claimed is:
 1. An apparatus, having a processor coupled to amemory, for reproducing data from an information storage medium, theapparatus comprising: a local storage unit to store at least onemetadata file in which information regarding contents stored in theinformation storage medium is recorded in at least one language; and asearch unit to search for a specified information storage medium thatmatches a specified condition with reference to the metadata file storedin the local storage unit; wherein the metadata file comprises aplurality of language files in which different versions of theinformation regarding the contents written in different languages areprovided, and the languages are identified by names of the respectivelanguage files; the specified information storage medium is a disc; theinformation regarding the contents does not comprise subtitle data; andthe names of the respective language files comprise a languageidentifier according to an ISO 639-2 standard.
 2. The apparatus of claim1, wherein the local storage unit further stores download informationregarding a plurality of downloadable metadata files downloadable fromother storage media.
 3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the downloadinformation comprises server location information specifying a locationof one or more servers, via a network, in which the downloadablemetadata files are stored.
 4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein themetadata file comprises at least one representative metadata file inwhich portions of the information regarding the contents that arelanguage-independent are recorded in a common language.
 5. The apparatusof claim 4, wherein the metadata file further comprises at least onelanguage-dependent metadata file in which portions of the informationregarding the contents that are language-dependent are written in one ofa plurality of languages other than the common language.
 6. Theapparatus of claim 1, wherein the metadata file comprises alanguage-dependent portion, or a language-independent portion, or acombination thereof.
 7. An apparatus, having a processor coupled to amemory, for reproducing data from an information storage medium, theapparatus comprising: a local storage unit to store at least onemetadata file in which information regarding contents stored in theinformation storage medium is recorded in at least one language; and asearch unit to search for a specified information storage medium thatmatches a specified condition with reference to the metadata file storedin the local storage unit; wherein the metadata file comprises aplurality of language files in which different versions of theinformation regarding the contents written in different languages areprovided, and the languages are identified by names of the respectivelanguage files; the local storage unit further stores downloadinformation regarding a plurality of downloadable metadata filesdownloadable from other storage media; and the download informationcomprises: disc identification (ID) information identifying theinformation storage medium; language code information regarding thedifferent languages in which the downloadable metadata files arewritten; and server location information specifying a location of one ormore servers in which the downloadable metadata files are stored.
 8. Theapparatus of claim 7, wherein the specified information storage mediumis a disc; and the information regarding the contents does not comprisesubtitle data.
 9. A method of reproducing data from an informationstorage medium, the method comprising: reading metadata havinginformation regarding contents stored in the information storage mediumprovided in at least one language; and identifying a specifiedinformation storage medium that satisfies a specified condition withreference to the read metadata; wherein the read metadata include aplurality of language files in which different versions of theinformation regarding contents are written in different languages, thedifferent languages being identifiable from names of the respectivelanguage files; the specified information storage medium is a disc; theinformation regarding contents does not include subtitle data; and thenames of the respective language files include a language identifieraccording to an ISO 639-2 standard.
 10. The method of claim 9, whereinthe read metadata further include download information regarding aplurality of downloadable metadata files downloadable from other storagemedia.
 11. The method of claim 10, wherein the download informationcomprises server location information specifying a location of one ormore servers in which the downloadable metadata files are stored. 12.The method of claim 9, wherein the read metadata further include atleast one representative metadata file in which portions of theinformation regarding contents that are language-independent arerecorded in a common language.
 13. The method of claim 12, wherein theread metadata further include at least one language-dependent metadatafile in which portions of the information regarding contents that arelanguage-dependent are written in one of the different languages otherthan the common language.
 14. A method of reproducing data from aninformation storage medium, the method comprising: reading at least onemetadata file in which information regarding contents stored in theinformation storage medium is recorded in at least one language; andsearching for a specified information storage medium that matches aspecified condition with reference to the read metadata file; whereinthe read metadata tile comprises a plurality of language files in whichdifferent versions of the information regarding the contents written indifferent languages are stored, and the languages are identified bynames of the respective language files; the read metadata file furthercomprises download information regarding a plurality of downloadablemetadata files downloadable from other storage media; and the downloadinformation comprises: disc identification (ID) information identifyingthe information storage medium; language code information regarding thedifferent languages in which the downloadable metadata files arewritten; and server location information specifying a location of one ormore servers in which the downloadable metadata files are stored. 15.The method of claim 14, wherein the specified information storage mediumis a disc; and the information regarding the contents does not comprisesubtitle data.